Donald Trump just weaponized the Pentagon to punish a decorated astronaut for daring to speak against him

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday that the Pentagon is formally censuring Senator Mark Kelly and launching serious administrative proceedings to consider reducing the Arizona Democrat’s rank in retirement. This move is the latest, and easily the most aggressive, twist in a dispute that has been simmering for weeks regarding the decorated astronaut’s political commentary against the Trump administration.

Hegseth didn’t mince words, stating in a social media post that since Kelly is a retired Navy officer, he’s “still accountable to military justice.” The Secretary repeatedly hammered the allegation that Senator Kelly has made “seditious statements,” which is an incredibly heavy charge to level against a sitting lawmaker. This whole process is extremely serious, and it seems like President Trump’s administration isn’t messing around when it comes to dissent.

The action Hegseth is taking isn’t just a slap on the wrist, either. He said he has issued a formal letter of censure, which “outlines the totality of Captain (for now) Kelly’s reckless misconduct.” This censure will be placed in Kelly’s official and permanent military personnel file. Beyond that, the Pentagon is launching grade determination proceedings. That’s the bureaucratic process military officials use to decide what rank an individual should hold in retirement. For a retired Navy Captain like Kelly, this could mean a demotion.

Hegseth is going for the lowest form of retaliation, which shows the kind of officer he was

It is hard to side with Hegseth (the known illegal wiretapper), but it really proves who he was when he was an officer. I’ve dealt with leadership that used any form of retaliation they could to feel powerful, and stuff like this is something that reminds me of a really unpopular leader that people looked down on. It’s just pathetic and basically tells you that he thinks Veterans are not allowed free speech.

The core of the dispute centers on a video Kelly and five other Democrats released. In the video, the lawmakers reminded U.S. troops that they have the right and duty to disobey illegal orders, something that is true and should be reminded of. You can get in huge trouble for following illegal orders, and be hit with conduct unbefitting a (branch) service member. It’s part of swearing on the Constitution, not on the president.

You can imagine how that went over in the White House. That message absolutely infuriated President Trump, even though Pete Hegseth said the same thing in 2016 about Trump.

The lawmakers involved have been sharp critics of the administration’s use of the military, specifically regarding domestic military deployments and the deadly counternarcotics campaign the U.S. has been running in Latin America. It looks like Kelly’s willingness to speak out against those policies is now costing him dearly.

Hegseth alleged that Kelly and the other lawmakers “released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline.” He called the censure a “necessary process step” and confirmed that Captain Kelly has been given notice of the action. Kelly now has thirty days to submit a response to the Pentagon.

This is a breathtaking use of military bureaucracy to silence or punish a political opponent. It’s a move we haven’t seen often, and it raises major questions about the separation of powers and the protection of free speech for retired military personnel who enter politics.

While Senator Kelly couldn’t be reached for immediate comment, he and his attorney, Paul Fishman, have already warned the administration that they are ready to fight back. They previously decried the administration’s handling of the situation and made it clear that if any form of discipline moved forward, they would take swift legal action. They’ve labeled this entire disciplinary push “dangerous overreach,” which, frankly, seems like an accurate description when the Defense Department is trying to strip the retirement rank of a U.S. Senator and decorated veteran over a political video.

You can bet Kelly and Fishman will utilize those thirty days to prepare a massive legal defense to halt this process. This isn’t just about a retirement rank; it’s about the ability of retired service members to criticize the sitting president without having their entire career record weaponized against them.